Adrian Portelli goes on extraordinary rant against ABC radio host and tells him to ‘f**k off’ before hanging up after he his online rewards club is likened to gambling

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During a live interview on ABC 774 Melbourne on Thursday, billionaire Adrian Portelli abruptly ended the conversation after telling host Rafael Epstein to ‘go away’ in a crude manner.

Thirty-seven-year-old Portelli became upset and used profanity when the breakfast show host likened his rewards program, LMCT+, to a lottery.

Known by his nickname ‘Mr Lambo’, Portelli spoke to reporters while visiting his new gas station in Preston, Melbourne.

Portelli was offering fuel for just $1 a litre to members of his loyalty program. Epstein then questioned what distinguished LMCT+ from gambling.

‘We offer discounts for shopping. That’s what we do,’ Portelli said, sounding frustrated.

‘Over $100,000 in discounts we offer with that membership. Okay?’

Earlier in the conversation, Epstein brought up the idea of LMCT+ setting up kiosks in malls to gain customers, and questioned Portelli if these kiosks were similar to slot machines, commonly called pokies.

Portelli asked, “Which slot machine are you implying has a daily jackpot of $100,000?”

The sponsor of My Reno Rules became upset when Epstein clarified he was simply asking questions and hadn’t implied anything.

‘You are [insinuating],’ an angry Portelli continued.

‘You’re comparing us to a lottery or a gambling company. 

What gambling product, if any, allows you to actually save money on everyday expenses?

Rather than focusing on that idea, why not highlight something useful that actually helps people save money every day?

We now offer petrol, and we’ll soon include grocery stores, meaning our members will be able to save money on everyday essentials with a single membership.

Epstein explained that people using LMCT+ needed to pay a membership fee to get discounts, and then questioned why Portelli didn’t offer free memberships.

Portelli expressed disbelief, questioning, “If something is free, can it really be considered a membership?”

Honestly, he sounded SO frustrated explaining it! It’s simple, okay? You just pay your membership fee, and then you get all the awesome perks! I already knew that, of course, but it was like he thought I wouldn’t understand! It’s the perks that matter, and they’re totally worth it!

Portelli swore and responded defensively when the radio host kept pressing him about how the LMCT+ business worked.

Portelli exclaimed that if he’d intended to bring Melbourne to a standstill, he would have made his 99 Cents store available to everyone in the city.

Epstein then tried to back off and attempted to break off the chat, but Portelli had the last word.

He concluded the interview, saying it had run long enough and likely contained too much strong language. He thanked his guest for being on the show.

‘F*** off,’ Portelli told him, before slamming down the phone.

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2026-04-23 06:51